Classroom Communities

Multi-age, vibrant learning communities

The multi-age groupings of the Montessori classroom communities are derived from Dr. Montessori’s four planes of human development. Each of these planes lasts approximately six years, with the first three years being a period of rapid growth and change and the second three years being a period of internalization. Montessori classroom communities typically span a three-year age range, reflecting the natural development of the children. Johns Creek Montessori School of Georgia specializes in working with children during their first plane of development, from 15 months to six years old.

This first plane of development lasts from birth to age six, and is characterized by an “absorbent” mind. The child’s brain, like a sponge, literally absorbs all things into which he or she comes in contact via his or her senses, making this the most important and dramatic period of learning. Because of this, the main goal of this phase of development is to help the child be in touch with a robust array of natural experiences.

During this age, the child has many “sensitive periods”; those times when a child seems singularly driven to discover a new concept or skill. For example, most children learn to walk somewhere around 12 months old. Sometimes the motivation to learn to walk actually causes other skills (such as sleeping through the night or language acquisition) to lose headway. It is important that these sensitive periods are honored to help the child maximize his potential.